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Sweden rejects Ecuador's asylum deal for Assange

ASHLEY HALL: Sweden has entered the diplomatic stand-off between Britain and Ecuador over the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The Swedes have strongly rejected Ecuador's reason for granting Mr Assange political asylum - that he wouldn't get a fair trial over allegations of rape and sexual assault.

They've summoned Ecuador's envoy to explain the decision.

The Swedes say they’ve not received any request from the US to extradite Mr Assange there, and even if they did, they'd be legally prevented from doing so.

But Mr Assange's supporters remain unconvinced, with rallies in the UK and the US celebrating Ecuador's decision.

Barney Porter reports.

BARNEY PORTER: If you listen to supporters of Julian Assange the argument is simple.

JULIAN ASSANGE SUPPORTER: He is fighting against USA practically. And he is represented a person who loves truth; truth, life, freedom and everything that we really miss in Latin America as well.

BARNEY PORTER: But not everyone is so supportive.

ANDERS JOERLE: We are quite upset by their remarks made on the Swedish legal system, accusing it of being politicised. I mean this is ridiculous.

BARNEY PORTER: Sweden's foreign ministry spokesman, Anders Joerle.

ANDERS JORLE: This decision is preventing the Swedish legal system from acting and making the investigation upon the accusations made of sexual offences in Sweden. And this is unacceptable in all reasonable ways.

BARNEY PORTER: Mr Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on June the 19th, after a British court ruled he could be extradited to Sweden for questioning about allegations of rape and sexual assault involving two women.

Amid the media focus on Mr Assange's bid for asylum, the lawyer representing the two women says he's puzzled by Ecuador's decision.

Claes Borgstrom says Mr Assange has managed to change the public debate from accusations of rape and sexual assault to WikiLeaks and the United States.

CLAES BORGSTROM: Well, I'm not any longer astonished when different things happen in this case, but I'm very disappointed though.

And I think it's absurd that he would get political asylum in Ecuador when the question is that he shall be extradited to Sweden to answer to the suspicions that he has committed rape and sexual molestation. That has nothing to do with asylum in Ecuador.

BARNEY PORTER: One of Mr Assange's Swedish lawyers, Thomas Olsson, says now that asylum has been granted, Swedish prosecutors must come to London to interview him.

In an interview with The World Today's Europe correspondent, Mary Gearin, Mr Olsson also acknowledges Swedish authorities are angry with Ecuador's involvement and how it reflects on Sweden's legal system.

THOMAS OLSSON: They think that this is outrageous that another state is accusing Sweden of not being a state that respects the rule of law.

MARY GEARIN: And what's your own personal assessment of Sweden's role in this?

THOMAS OLSSON: I don't have to evaluate that. Me personally, I think that Sweden has the rule of law, but I also see that there are substantial risks that if Mr Assange will be prosecuted in the United States, he will also be extradited. And if he is staying in Sweden he will be extradited from Sweden.

BARNEY PORTER: That same scenario, subsequent extradition to the US, was used by Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, to justify his decision to grant Mr Assange asylum.

But there's a problem.

Anders Joerle again.

ANDERS JOERLE: There has been a lot of talk about him being at risk of having the capital punishment in the United States, and Sweden neither Britain will extradite a person who is at risk of having the capital punishment. This is both by Swedish law and also by the European Convention of Human Rights.

BARNEY PORTER: The Swedish media has been particularly forthright.

One tabloid newspaper has described Mr Assange as “a hero who's turned pathetic”, while an editorial in another has praised foreign minister Carl Bildt's assurance that Mr Assange would be treated according to the rule of law.

And they've been backed by the British foreign secretary, William Hague.

He's says Sweden has the highest standard of human rights and commitment to legal processes.

WILLIAM HAGUE: It's important to understand that this is not about Mr Assange's activities at WikiLeaks or the attitude of the United States of America. He is wanted in Sweden to answer allegations of serious sexual offences.

BARNEY PORTER: The United States meanwhile has reiterated it has no intention of persecuting Mr Assange, and denies charges that it's pressuring Britain to seize him.

US state department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland.

VICTORIA NULAND: This is an issue between the Ecuadoreans, the Brits, the Swedes. I don't have anything particular to add.

REPORTER: You don't have any interest at all in this case other than as of a completely neutral, independent observer role?

VICTORIA NULAND: Well, certainly with regard to this particular issue, it is an issue among the countries involved, and we're not planning to interject ourselves.

BARNEY PORTER: Such assurances are unlikely to assuage the Assange supporters.